


Dreams May Come True

by OtterlyDeerlightful



Series: Lifemates AU [4]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Nonbinary Robbie Rotten, Trans Sportacus (LazyTown), relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 20:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11767998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterlyDeerlightful/pseuds/OtterlyDeerlightful
Summary: Sportacus and Robbie are finally an item, and LazyTown's hero felt like all his dreams had come true. The longer they are together, though, the more he fears he may destroy everything. Robbie's bound to find out eventually...





	Dreams May Come True

They were really hitting it off. Against all odds, things seemed to be working out. At least everything _had been_ working out. Sportacus had dreamed of the chance at having a relationship with Robbie Rotten for months now and, miraculously, those dreams had come true. Except there was one small hitch that could destroy everything, and Sportacus knew it. It had ruined previous attempts at lesser relationships, and now it might ruin this one as well. The hero never thought that he would actually get this far, so the ‘problem’ had been easy to ignore. But now reality was setting in that, yes, he _was_ dating Robbie, and that ‘problem’ was suddenly a very real threat.

Sportacus had, after many push-ups, sit-ups, and much staring at blank walls, decided that he needed to address things sooner rather than later. Waiting would only make things worse. It wasn’t fair to Robbie, he concluded, to be left in the dark, especially if the man cared about Sportacus the way he did for them. He hoped it wouldn’t matter to Robbie. He hoped that it wouldn’t change anything. But those hoped had been quickly dashed before…and those relationships had never felt half as important as the one he now feared losing. Even if Robbie turned on him, hated him, used Sportacus’ own words against him to drive him out of town, he needed to tell the man. He wanted to know everything about Robbie; it was only fair he offered just as much in return. Even if it might destroy everything they had built and leave him alone and unwanted. Again.

“Uh…Sportastare? You alright?”

The hero jumped. Sportacus suddenly realized just how much he had pulled into himself as the sights and sounds of the Lazy Town sports park rushed to refill his senses. He looked up at the man sitting next to him, a clear look of concern etched on his boyfriend’s face.

“Earth to Sportacus?”

The hero forced a nervous smile. “Sorry, Robbie.”

“You okay?” the man asked as he leaned back against the bench. “I’m not _boring_ you, am I?”

“Oh, no! No, Robbie!” Sportacus cried a little too quickly, earning him a look. He cleared his throat. “It is just that…I guess my mind started to wander. I didn’t realize I was ignoring you. I’m sorry.”

Robbie shrugged and looked out at the park spread out before them. “Well you should be. I was outlining my plan to end world hunger and save all the cuddly animals and you weren’t even listening. See if I divulge that information again any time soon.”

Sportacus grinned. Robbie had a strange sense of humor that felt almost alien to the elf at times, but he found that he loved it. It made Sportacus smile. Robbie seemed to love that little effect in particular. More importantly, though, it relaxed him…which is exactly what he needed right now.

The hero inched closer to his boyfriend and carefully took Robbie’s hand in his own. He felt a rush of warmth spread through his chest when the villain gently squeezed it. This was nice. It wasn’t playing or jumping…quite the opposite…but it felt so nice just to be with Robbie like this. He didn’t want it to end, and that was the entire problem. It might, all because of him.

“You sure you’re alright?”

Sportacus didn’t look up this time. He had never been very good at hiding his feelings…so much so that he was amazed that Robbie hadn’t found out about his little crush eons ago. But the man could certainly tell Sportacus was hiding something _now._ He squirmed lightly in his seat.

“Care to share?” Robbie asked.

Sportacus could feel the man’s eyes on him. Those big, beautiful silver eyes, full of curious concern as he waited for Sportacus to speak, to tell him what was wrong. The elf swallowed and tried to discreetly calm himself with some steady breathing. He let out a quiet breath and turned to his boyfriend. There were those eyes. Oh, those sweet eyes…

“Something has…just been on my mind lately,” he began nervously. “I…I really like you, Robbie, you see, and…and I was just a little worried because, well, y-you see—”

“ _Heads up!_ ”

Sportacus’ crystal flashed and the two men abruptly pulled apart, each leaning back and way as a black and white ball flew square between them and landed harmlessly in the grass some distance away. Both blinked, then Robbie stood.

“What on _earth_ are you hooligans doing?” he demanded as he whipped around to stare down Trixie and Pixel.

“Sorry, Robbie!” the little tech genius replied quickly. “That was my fault. I was supposed to catch it!”

“You almost took Sportadork’s head off!” the man scolded with a scowl as he waved his arm about in Sportacus’ general direction. “You need to be more careful!”

“They said they were sorry, Robbie,” Sportacus interrupted. “It was an accident. No harm done!”

Trixie was already in the process of retrieving their ball. “Hey, you wanna play, Sportacus? Pinky said she’d be out soon and we’ll need another player.”

An out. Oh thank heavens, an out! Sportacus beamed before back-flipping over the bench and landing on the other side of the just wall behind it. Robbie folded his arms over his chest and muttered something about how the elf could have just walked just as easily.

“Of course I’ll play!”

The children cheered and Robbie rolled his eyes.

“I’ll see you later, Robbie!” Sportacus yelled abruptly before hurrying after the children, too afraid to look back.

This was a terrible idea. He knew it was. Robbie clearly knew Sportacus was hiding something; there was no way for him to avoid talking about it later. Playing with the kids was just delaying the inevitable. And having his mind so preoccupied with such anxieties was taking all the fun out of the game at hand. Even if the children didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that Sportacus was nervously preoccupied, Robbie knew. Robbie knew everything except the secret that Sportacus was now convinced was going to destroy everything and leave him alone and unwanted all over again.

“Sportacus, look out!”

“Huh?” The hero ducked just in time to avoid getting a facefull of soccer ball.

“That was a close one!” Ziggy cried as he hustled over. “Careful, Sportacus!”

“Sorry about that!” Trixie called from across the field.

“Are you alright, Sportacus?” Stephanie asked worriedly. “Trixie _said_ she was passing it to you.”

Sometimes he wished the girl wasn’t so observant. He really didn’t know how to deal with questions right now, even simple ones. He was already so distraughtly distracted it was a wonder he could verbalize a coherent response.

“I’m sorry, Stephanie. I guess—”

“Leave the kangaroo alone,” he heard a deep, familiar voice shout from somewhere to his right. “He’s done playing for the day anyway.”

Stingy put his hands on his hips, the checkered ball somehow already safely guarded under one foot. “You can’t boss Sportacus around just because you’re friends now, Robbie! He’s busy playing with _me_!”

“Not anymore,” Robbie retorted. He waved his arm at the boy, trying to shoo the child away. “Now go make a mess somewhere else. The grown-ups need to talk.”

Stingy looked like he was going to say something more when Stephanie gently took his arm. The boy blinked up at her in surprise, but the pink-clad girl looked rather serious.

“Come on, Stingy. Let’s let Sportacus and Robbie talk. It’s probably time we took a break anyway.” She turned to the rest of the group. “Come on, guys, let’s go get a snack at my place!”

As the children gathered up their things and started to shuffle away, Stephanie stole a glance back at her heroic friend. The man looked surprisingly scared, like he was begging her with his eyes to stay, save him from the impending conversation with his boyfriend. Stephanie walked over and gave him a hug.

“I dunno what’s wrong, but…feel better, Sportacus. Okay?”

The elf swallowed and forced a smile onto his face. “Yeah. Th-thanks, Stephanie. Remind everyone to drink some water. You were all playing really hard out there.”

The girl nodded. “Of course!” She gave a wave and turned to hurry after her friends. “Bye, Sportacus! See you later!”

“Bye….Stephanie,” Sportacus mumbled.

The slightly above average hero suddenly felt ill as he watched his pink safety net disappear into the distance. Sportacus swallowed, trying to emotionally prepare himself for the monster he knew was coming. The kids were heading in for a water break. No more excuses to dodge the truth. He had backed himself into a corner and there was no longer an escape. He had to face ‘the problem’ whether he wanted to or not, even if it would destroy everything, even if it made Robbie hate him, even if it meant he would have to leave the town he had come to think of has his home, even if…

“Sportacus,” a tender voice hummed from behind as long fingers gently rested on his shoulder, “Are you alright?”

The elf swallowed, then shook his head, unable to look Robbie in the eye.

“Come here,” his boyfriend sighed before guiding Sportacus to the nearest bench.

Robbie sat him down and settled in beside him with an aching groan.

“ _Alright_ , Sportaflop,” Robbie sighed, “Something’s eating at you and it’s making you miserable. So, what’s the problem? Seeing you so… _scared_ is…unnerving.”

Sportacus wrung his hands. He had no idea how to start. What was he going to say? ‘Okay, Robbie, I have a secret that’s going to make you want to break up with me and never see me again and go back to wanting me to leave town forever’? The elf heard himself involuntarily sniffle and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying outright.

“…Sportacus?” Robbie asked, more slowly this time. “I’m serious. You’re kind of scaring me.”

“Sorry, Robbie.”

Why did his voice sound so small?

There was a brief silence between them.

Robbie finally cleared his throat.  “Y-you’re not trying to figure out how to break up with me, are you?”

Sportacus’ head snapped up immediately. “What? N-no, Robbie! How could I—?”

The worry in his boyfriend’s eyes made Sportacus’ shoulders sink down. He hadn’t even realized how tense they had been. Robbie looked so sad, so worried. All of his fears were washed away as the need to reassure his partner took over. The hero took his villain by the hand and leaned over for a gentle kiss on Robbie’s cheek. His lips could feel the man’s cheeks swell with gratitude.

“I wanted to be with you for so long, Robbie. You’ve made me so happy. I could never break up with you.”

“Then what’s wrong?” the other man asked softly. “Whatever it is, it’s turning you into some kind of Sportazombie.”

Sportacus sighed as his anxiety fought its way back into his head.

“I…guess I’m a little worried _you_ might want to break up with _me_ ,” he finally admitted.

The flood gates were open now, weren’t they?

“ _What?_ ” Robbie asked in shock. “Wh-why?”

“There’s something I haven’t told you. I haven’t told anyone, and...” Sportacus sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to steady himself before continuing. “And it’s ended relationships before.”

If Robbie had looked worried before, he looked downright frightened now as he waited for his boyfriend to continue. He couldn’t imagine what kind of secret Sportacus could have that would be such a deal-breaker. The man was squeaky clean and a total sweetheart. What kind of deep, dark secret could the hero have?

Sportacus let out an unsteady breath. He sat up, wiped the moisture that was forming around his eyes, and looked over at Robbie. They locked eyes. The hero felt his hands shaking, if only slightly. He reached for Robbie’s hand and wrapped his trembling fingers around it. Robbie gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Sportacus tried to memorize the feeling of Robbie’s skin on his, the length of his thing fingers. He may not get to feel it again after today.

He was so frightened, even more scared than he had been on Valentine’s Day. Back then he hadn’t had nearly so much to lose…his dignity, maybe. But there was so much more at risk now. _Robbie_ was at risk, the one thing in his life he didn’t want to lose above all else. He had never felt this way about anyone before, yet here he was about to ruin it. Yet, if he said nothing and Robbie found out on his own, it would be just as bad in the end, wouldn’t it? Sportacus swallowed. No turning back now.

“Robbie, I’m…” Sportacus sighed and diverted his eyes to stare at their intertwined hands. He couldn’t bear to look any higher. “I’m transgender.”

Silence.

Oh no. No, he knew that silence. He’d heard that silence before. Sportacus bit his lip in an attempt to keep his chin from quivering. His chest suddenly felt so tight he couldn’t stand it. His gaze was still fixed on their hands, which gave him a perfect view of Robbie’s hand pulling away from his. Sportacus choked back a sob, curling his fingers back in on themselves and shutting his eyes as the tears came and blurred his vision. He had done it again; he had ruined everything. He had finally found happiness and he had _ruined_ it.

“Sportacus.”

The elf blinked, opening his eyes as his mind finally registered the gentle pressure that had engulfed him. It took him a second to identify where it had come from, what it was. It was a hug. A very familiar hug. Robbie’s fingers rested on the back of his head, keeping Sportacus’ cheek safely against their chest. Their other hand carefully ran the length of the hero’s spine in an attempt to soothe away the pain. What was happening?

“R-Robbie…?” he heard himself ask meekly, his voice lightly muffled by the villain’s embrace.

“ _Sshhh_. It’s okay, Sportacus.”

Okay? It was…okay? Sportacus whined softly, body trembling anew.

“ _Robbie!_ ”

The hero began to cry. His shoulders heaved as he wrapped his arms around the lanky man that held him. Sportacus whimpered and finally allowed himself the privilege to sob outright. He cried Robbie’s name again and again and held the man tight, Robbie all the while sitting still and allowing his boyfriend to release all the fear and pain that had been festering inside. He kissed the top of the elf’s hat and waited for Sportacus to return to himself. When the elf’ sobs finally grew quiet, he spoke.

“Feeling a little better?” Robbie all but whispered.

He felt the hero nod his head against him. The villain continued to rub his back gently.

“That’s good.” He gave his partner a gentle squeeze. “You’ve got quite a grip, you know. Not easy sitting here while a health-crazed elf tries to squeeze you in half.”

Sportacus snorted. That was encouraging, at least.

“Sorry, Robbie.”

“Hey...Sportasnot, look at me.”

The muscular man pulled free just enough to look up at his boyfriend. Robbie sighed, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to try and wipe away the tears and uncouth amount of mucus left on the elf’s face.

“Are you going to be alright?”

Sportacus was quiet, his eyes unsure as the terribly important question danced upon his tongue but refused to be released. Robbie laid his lips upon Sportacus’ forehead and the town’s hero finally allowed himself a small smile.

“ _We’re_ going to be alright,” Robbie clarified. “Are _you_ okay?”

Sportacus could feel his body relax as his partner spoke. They were alright? They were alright. He sniffled and nodded, a smile trying to tug at the corners of his mouth. They were going to be okay…things were going to be okay. They had never been okay before. He had hoped that this time they would be fine in the end, but the man never _expected_ them to be…

“I-I’m okay,” the hero croaked.

“Good.” Robbie brushed some stray strands of golden hair away from his boyfriend’s eyes. “You had me worried there for a minute.” He took a breath. “So you’re transgender, huh?”

Sportacus reluctantly nodded and looked away, an automatic response.

“ _Stop that._ ” Robbie dragged Sportacus’ chin back so they could see one another. “Now you listen to me, okay? Because you have the attention span of a gnat and I don’t want to repeat myself if you get distracted by something you _really_ want to try and use for pull-ups or something.”

Sportacus couldn’t help but giggle at the faux scolding. Robbie did his best not to mirror him, difficult as it was.

“I’m dating you. _You_ , Sportacus. I’m not dating whatever genitals you have, you hear me?”

Sportacus immediately glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide and scanning the nearby area for any children that might be in earshot.

“ _Stop_ ,” Robbie sighed as he pulled the elf’s face back to his own once again. “ _Genitals_ isn’t a naughty word, Sportaprude, so calm down.” He wiped a belated tear from his hero’s cheek. “I don’t care what’s in your pants.” Robbie shook his head. “Correction: I don’t care what’s in your pants so long as you don’t use them to tote around extra sportscandy for emergencies because I wouldn’t put it passed you to try something like that.”

The elf smiled, another soft giggle escaping his relieved lips.

“Your being transgender changes nothing, alright? You understand that?”

Sportacus sniffed and nodded.

“Th-thank you, Robbie,” he whispered. “When I’ve told people before—”

Robbie quickly interrupted. “Well I’m not _them_ , am I? I don’t care _what_ you are so long as you’re Sportaflop.”

Lazy Town’s hero sniffled and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, burying his face into Robbie’s neck.

“Thank you for trusting me with this, by the way,” the villain sighed. “I know it was hard. And, since we’re on the subject anyway, I guess I might as well let you in on a little secret, too.”

Sportacus pulled back slightly, curious. “O-oh?”

Robbie shrugged. “We’re technically under the same umbrella.”

It took Sportacus a moment to realize what Robbie had said. His eyes went wide.

“Not that same thing _exactly_ ,” he clarified, “I’m, I guess what you would call, nonbinary? It’s never been that big of a deal, but…you know…if we’re both being truthful about things, I might as well spill some beans, too.”

Sportacus grinned and took Robbie’s hand. “I…didn’t expect that,” he admitted. “ _Any_ of this. I thought for sure you would…you would…”

“Well, that didn’t happen, now did it? There you go again, Sportakook, always wrong,” his partner teased as he wrapped an arm around Sportacus’ shoulder and pulled him close. He gave the elf’s temple a delicate kiss. “I don’t know all that happened with those other people, but I promise I won’t repeat it. I’m not giving you up that easily.”

Sportacus squeaked and pressed himself into Robbie’s side. Sportacus used to dream about the day he would find someone who would accept him for who and what he was and love him all the same. This was the first time his ‘problem’ had been anything but. Somehow, though, against all odds, his dream had come true. Thanks to Robbie. Because Robbie didn’t care. Robbie loved him. And he loved his Robbie back.


End file.
